I was wondering if anyone here has thoughts/recommendations of a climbing helmet that is suitable for cycling? A distant memory is telling me that petzl make a helmet that is 'rated' for cycling but can't, for the love of god, remember the name.

On 25/01/2012 climbau wrote:>But as Dalai said, not ASNZS approved - so therefore you would not be>able to wear it at any organised event. And it cannot be sold as a bike>helmet in Oz.

Correct on the last point but I'm not sure what you meant by "organised event". Road cycling perhaps?
Downhill MTB helmets for example are not (last I heard) AS/NZS approved because the compliance and testing cost is large (rumour: around $35k) hence most downhill racers are racing with a safe, full-face helmet that can't legally be used for riding on the road. Heh.

Ultimately the Au government has to mutually recognise some of these standards to help, rather than hinder, local importers and product developers.

Are you looking for one that you can use (safely) for both because of financial reasons or are you planning a climbing & cycling trip? If it's financial, buy a $5 'City Of Melbourne' subsidised helmet in the CBD (sold at various 7/11's for the rent-a-bike scheme), and spend the rest on a decent climbing helmet. If it's because you need something multipurpose, then ignore me. Because I'd laugh loudly at anyone climbing in a City Of Melbourne bike helmet.

gfdonc wrote;>Correct on the last point but I'm not sure what you meant by "organised event". Road cycling perhaps?>Downhill MTB helmets for example are not (last I heard) AS/NZS approved because the compliance and testing cost is large (rumour: around $35k) hence most downhill racers are racing with a safe, full-face helmet that can't legally be used for riding on the road. Heh.

>Ultimately the Au government has to mutually recognise some of these standards to help, rather than hinder, local importers and product developers.

~> Not a shot at gfdonc, but simply using his post as a trigger...

I can't be bothered looking up the links, but there have been a number of posts on different motorcycling forums regarding the current idiotic state of (motorcycling) 'helmet standards' and relevant laws.

What I make of it is that there is MAJOR discrepancy between even the same standard depending on the year of certification of such standard, and the old international vs Australian thing has been further subjugated to State vs State thing.
~> The ultimate reality is that at present there is probably not a single motorcycling helmet in Australia that complies with all international/Australian/State laws... !!

Common sense dictates that motorcyclists wear a helmet, but if a copper should issue an infringement for it not complying, then they would be on thin legal ground indeed.

I imagine the same scenario applies to climbing helmets and treadly helmets if one was to seriously look into the law/certifications behind the scenes...

Regarding MTB events, single speed and X-country events have a requirement for competitors to be in an AS/NZS helmet according to the folks I work with. There is every possibility that in the case of DH, if a risk assessment is conducted and the conclusion is that an AS/NZS helmet does not provide sufficient protection, then they are bound by their duty of care to look outside the standard. I do not have access to a copy of the standard for cycling helmets so I cannot say for sure.

Industries can vary with Standards compliance and there could very well be differences between motor vehicle and bicycle compliance requirements.
The big problem is the expense of getting a copy of the relevant Standard, knowing the jargon, and trawling through the legislation (state and federal) which leads to some people thinking they know, but the majority of those actually don't.
Be careful who you talk to. Chat to local manufacturers and importers and work through the chaff.

At the end of the day, you can probably wear what ever helmet you want. Just don't expect the Police/Cycling event organisers/Standards Committees/etc... to accept your decision without you showing evidence of your claims, even then an event organiser can still turn around and not accept your argument should they wish.

Australian standards for bicycle helmets require regular batch testing. For this reason, helmets sold in lower volume are uneconomic. Due to this, many different helmets including bicycle helmets and multisport helmets that meet the requirements still don't get the certification.

Riding on Australian roads requires you to wear a certified helmet. Good luck that a police office could identify the difference though (beyond checking for a sticker, which in of itself is not definitive.)

>At the end of the day, you can probably wear what ever helmet you want.>Just don't expect the Police/Cycling event organisers/Standards Committees/etc...>to accept your decision without you showing evidence of your claims, even>then an event organiser can still turn around and not accept your argument>should they wish.

Same messy situation applies with rope access helmets as i understand it.